1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tennis rackets with improved handle pallets, bows and grommet strips and, more particularly, to an improved tennis racket incorporating a pallet handle which is dense, soft and indexable, which has a durable, soft, wear resistant grommet strip and which has a bow cross-section enlarged in the axial direction.
2. Description of the Background Art
Tennis is considered a sport by some and a game by others. It involves players on opposite sides of a net who employ rackets to strike a resilient ball back and forth over the net. The racket has one end with tensioned strings which contact the ball and another end with a handle grasped by the user.
All players recognize that modern, improved rackets add to their efficiency and enjoyment of tennis. They also believe that further improvements to equipment are still possible for purposes such as abatement of shocks and vibrations when striking the ball, enlargement of that area of the racket face from which superior shots may be hit, better balance of the racket, softer handles which are still indexable, etc.
By way of illustration the background art discloses many types of handles and handle pallets for tennis rackets as well as for other types of hand held devices. To illustrate the wide variety of handle and handle pallets designed for us as tennis rackets, consider the teachings of spiral wound layers as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,015,851 to Pennell and 4,159,115 to Ticktin. Separate sleeves for covering handles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,098,506 to Gaiser and 3,614,100 to Spitz. Separate sleeves are usually for the purpose of absorbing perspiration. Spector, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,091, discloses an adhesive tape usable on handles. In addition, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,489,031 to Myer; 4,284,275 to Fletcher and 4,660,832 to Shomo, show tennis racket handles designed for particular purposes such as aeration, grip enhancement and for shock and vibration abatement.
In addition to handles and handle pallets specifically designed for utility in tennis rackets, the background art discloses handles designed specifically for use in golf clubs. Note U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,606,325; 4,133,529 and 4,338,270 to Lamkin, Gambino, Uffindell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,567 to Uffindell discloses a grip positionable over the rigid handle end of a golf club or tennis racket. The grip is of a Shore A hardness of 55 to 65. The grip, however, is not a pallet between an octagonal core and grip.
Also within the prior art are those commercial rackets manufactured and sold by the Spalding & Evenflo Companies, Inc. of Tampa, Fl. which are essentially the same in structure as those disclosed and claimed herein except for the pallet material which is hard, with a significantly higher hardness than that disclosed and claimed herein.
Further, the background art discloses many other types of handles for use in a wide variety of applications. These include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,915,782 to Davis; 4,053,676 to Kaminstein; 4,174,109 to Gaiser; 4,347,280 to Lauand; and 4,373,718 to Schmidt.
Lastly, the background art discloses an even larger number of patents directed to improving grommet strips, bumper strips and bows to which they are to be secured. Consider, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,552,020 to Tribelhorn; 3,548,484 to Carlton; 3,567,225 to Hollis; 3,582,072 to Stueck; 3,625,512 to Latham; 3,664,668 to Held; 3,664,669 to Latham; 3,702,701 to Vaughn; 2,884,467 to Sommer; 3,889,172 to Vaughn; 3,912,267 to Lyon; 3,930,648 to Brown; 4,005,862 to Portz; 3,066,260 to Rodgers; 4,185,822 to Li; 4,204,481 to Hall; 4,220,335 to Nobbs; 4,314,699 to Bayer; 4,331,331 to Rodgers; 4,429,874 to Rodgers; 4,436,305 to Fernandez and 4,570,933 to Michiels; and in particular 4,496,152 to Mott.
The background art discloses a wide variety of tennis racket features designed to perform a wide variety of functions. They are fabricated of a wide variety of materials, natural and synthetic, and formed by a wide variety of processes. No background art, however, discloses, teaches or suggests a tennis racket with the improved handle pallet, bow and grommet strip as described herein to provide in one unit all of these desirable features, along with greater convenience of manufacture and at a reduced cost. All previous tennis rackets are simply lacking in one regard or another.
As illustrated by the background art, efforts are continuously being made in an attempt to improve tennis rackets. No prior effort, however, suggests the present inventive combination of component elements arranged and configured as disclosed herein. Prior rackets do not provide the benefits attendant with the present invention. The present invention achieves its purposes, objects and advantages over the prior art through a new, useful and unobvious combination of component elements, through the use of a minimum number of functioning parts, through the utilization of readily available materials and conventional components and at a reduction in cost to manufacture.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a tennis racket which may have a graphite fiber containing frame with an opening at one end and with a handle pallet at the other end, the handle pallet formed of a soft, dense, indexable urethane; the frame formed with a common cross-sectional configuration enlarged in the direction of the axis of the opening and located around the majority of the opening; and a grommet strip formed of a soft, durable, wear resistant polyurethane-polycarbonate blend and secured to the radially exterior edge of the frame around the majority of the opening.
It is a further object of the present invneiton to enlarge the spot of a tennis racket from which superior shots may be hit.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to increase the comfort of handles of tennis rackets while still maintaining indexability.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide and maintain better racket balance.
The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent objects of the invention. These objects should be construed to be merely illustrative of some of the more prominent features and applications of the present invention. Many other beneficial results can be attained by applying the disclosed invention in a different manner or by modifying the invention within the scope of the disclosure. Accordingly, other objects and a further understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the summary of the invention and the detailed description of the preferred embodiment in addition to the scope of the invention defined by the claims taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.